The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) has been asked to provide advice to EPA, specifically its Office of Research and Development (ORD), on 5 charge questions. The NEJAC Research Advisory Workgroup will formulate draft findings and recommendations for the NEJAC Executive Council, .which will in turn take these recommendations and provide advice to the EPA and theOffice of Research and Development (ORD) The five key questions are:
(1) What critical opportunities are there for informing actions that address and prevent environmental inequities through implementing these research programs? How can sustainability as an operational framework advance research in support of environmental justice?
(2) How can ORD implement a community-inclusive, meaningful, and sustained participatory process in the development of EPA scientific research agendas? In order to strengthen the relevance and quality of its R&D enterprise, how can ORD most effectively work collaboratively with communities in the execution of its research programs (e.g., community-based participatory research)?
(3) How can the outputs of ORD’s research programs be customized to interface with local decision makers and disproportionately-impacted communities? How can ORD determine whether its research products and outputs are having a demonstrated impact with respect to addressing and preventing environmental inequities?
(4) What criteria should ORD use to assess the impact of its research with respect to environmental justice, and EPA decision making?
(5) What are the most critical skills, both technical and non-technical, that EPA research scientists will need to address environmental justice as part of each of the six programs?